Erika Showalter Final Exam-Extra Credit

Two things I learned about during this semester were Archetypes and the Hero’s Journey. For extra credit on my final exam, I thought I would combine those two subjects and write an essay on what I believe the archetype of a Hero’s Journey is. In the trilogy The Lord of the Rings, Frodo Baggins demonstrates the perfect example of a true hero.
The first stage of the Hero’s Journey is separation. Separation consists of the calling, the threshold, and the descent. Frodo’s calling is when his uncle, Bilbo Baggins, gives Frodo “The Ring”. Ringwraiths find out Frodo has the Ring and start to hunt him down. This forces Frodo to leave the Shire to protect his home and loved ones. Frodo, along with a few trusted friends, then flees to Rivendale. It is in this Elvish city that he finds his threshold. After siting in a council filled with argumentative dwarves, elves, and humans, he feels compelled to help. It is with this decision that he begins his Descent. He must then travel across Middle-Earth to the pits of Mordor. This begins the next stage of the Hero’s Journey.
The second stage of the Hero’s Journey is Initiation. Initiation consits of an abyss, a mentor, and a transformation. Frodo’s abyss is when he enters the land of Mordor and makes his way to Mount Doom. By this time his only help is Samwise "Sam" Gamgee, his mentor. This faithful hobbit gardener sticks by Frodo’s side and helps him physically, mentally, and emotionally. He journeys with Frodo to the very pits of Mount Doom. In Frodo’s Journey he has two transformations. The first being a dark one, where he becomes obsessed with power and does not put the Ring into the core of Mount Doom. Luckily Sméagol/Gollum, a creature who was a former owner of the Ring who had become obsessed with it, fights Frodo for the Ring. During the struggle, the Ring falls into the pits of Mount Doom and is lost forever. This begins the third and final stage of the Hero’s Journey.
The last stage of the Hero’s Journey is the return. The return’s only element is creation. When the ring is destroyed, he creates saftey for all of Middle Earth. He returns home and restores the Shire to the way it was. It is shortly after this that his second transformation occurred. Having been wounded physically and emotionally during his Journey, Frodo realizes that he is a new person and that things can never really go back to the way they were for him. It is with this that he returns to Rivendale and, along with his uncle, leaves Middle-Earth forever.
Frodo Baggins is just one of several heroes in the trilogy The Lord of the Rings, yet he is the most prominent and archetypal hero i’ve ever known. He is a timeless example of a hero who battles the bad guy, and although he falters, helps the greater good in the end.